Reich doesn't fully convince me, it part because he doesn't specify what he means by "break up? Once thing I've seen mentioned is to use existing anti-trust law to prohibit these entities from acquiring potential competitors or unrelated businesses whose products they then use their dominant power to support. That I can certainly support. But of the three mentioned, Facebook is the one I focus on. I don't use Google and I am very aware of B&N as an alternative to Amazon: I slightly prefer the Kindle reader to the Nook reader, but that could change at any time. Simply because everybody uses Facebook, it's easy to keep up with my friends and the groups I belong to. I remember the days before first CompuServe, then AOL became dominant, and things were very much less convenient in those times. And because a single dominant platform for this sort of thing is more convenient, I can't see any way you could effectively split up Facebook. Within at most a year or two, one of the "children" would be as dominant as Facebook is now.
I seem to recall that I have recently posted my views on life in our galaxy. If so, I don't want to repeat them. Although it strikes me as peculiar that everybody seems to want to quote astrophysicists rather than someone whose professional background has something to do with the incredible complexity of even the simplest life forms.
No one ever seems to site Amazon's acquisition of Audible or Google's of YouTube, two takeovers that affected, and massively annoyed me, far more than the ones the articles always site. No doubt I complained about it bitterly at the time, but Google's takeover of YouTube quashed it's individuality and thus its personality and, not coincidentally, made it much harder to use, mainly for uploaders. There was a good deal of protest, not to say anger at the time; but, Google basically told us to shut up and accept it. And, of course, for the most part we did. But I for one haven't forgotten and still harbor resentment.
It's been quite the weekend. Yesterday we watched our 11 year old granddaughter ride her horse in her first gymkhana. She did well, winning first and fourth place ribbons.
Today we have had wind, rain, snow, and ice pellets. Spring is blowing in!! Yeah!
This year it was closer to four months of Winter, but we will have glorious Spring, a beautiful Autumn, and in between: a full fledged Summer. And now that we have heat pumps it won't matter as much if it's a hot Summer like last year.
"Meanwhile, the proposed legislation also tackles the pesky problem of the toxins. The Ecology Center estimates that 93 percent of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), which is used as a color developer to help the receipts be legible. (It is the BPA that makes them ineligible for recycling.) According to Green America:
"When we touch receipts, the chemical coating is absorbed into our bodies through our hands in mere seconds. Researchers at the New York State Department of Health documented connections between BPA exposures and developmental and neurological problems. BPA impacts fetal development and is linked to reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns. Companies have sought out “non-BPA” paper, but the typical replacement is BPS, a similar chemical which research indicates has similarly detrimental effects as BPA."
It comes as little surprise that employees who regularly handle receipts have over 30 percent more BPA or BPS in their bodies."
I suppose it is heat-sensitive paper, and the mechanism is far less expensive than the older dot-matrix printers, or the even older mechanical printers.
New and very interesting thoughts about the Fermi Paradox [Click] Including the effects of intragalactic stellar motion
ReplyDeleteRobert Reich: Elizabeth Warren is right – we must break up Facebook, Google and Amazon [Click] “The titans of the new Gilded Age must be busted and the idea has bipartisan support. It’s time big tech was brought to heel.”
Thanks for those, Alan.
DeleteGlad you liked them, Cat. You're most welcome.
DeleteReich doesn't fully convince me, it part because he doesn't specify what he means by "break up? Once thing I've seen mentioned is to use existing anti-trust law to prohibit these entities from acquiring potential competitors or unrelated businesses whose products they then use their dominant power to support. That I can certainly support. But of the three mentioned, Facebook is the one I focus on. I don't use Google and I am very aware of B&N as an alternative to Amazon: I slightly prefer the Kindle reader to the Nook reader, but that could change at any time. Simply because everybody uses Facebook, it's easy to keep up with my friends and the groups I belong to. I remember the days before first CompuServe, then AOL became dominant, and things were very much less convenient in those times. And because a single dominant platform for this sort of thing is more convenient, I can't see any way you could effectively split up Facebook. Within at most a year or two, one of the "children" would be as dominant as Facebook is now.
DeleteI seem to recall that I have recently posted my views on life in our galaxy. If so, I don't want to repeat them. Although it strikes me as peculiar that everybody seems to want to quote astrophysicists rather than someone whose professional background has something to do with the incredible complexity of even the simplest life forms.
DeleteNo one ever seems to site Amazon's acquisition of Audible or Google's of YouTube, two takeovers that affected, and massively annoyed me, far more than the ones the articles always site. No doubt I complained about it bitterly at the time, but Google's takeover of YouTube quashed it's individuality and thus its personality and, not coincidentally, made it much harder to use, mainly for uploaders. There was a good deal of protest, not to say anger at the time; but, Google basically told us to shut up and accept it. And, of course, for the most part we did. But I for one haven't forgotten and still harbor resentment.
DeleteWe had a few inches of snow last night.
ReplyDeleteBTW the Miami Harold article about the massage parlor tycoon with the rhinestone encrusted MAGA clutch purse was, shall we say, interesting.
We do hope it will become ever more interesting for those in the photo...
DeleteIt's been quite the weekend. Yesterday we watched our 11 year old granddaughter ride her horse in her first gymkhana. She did well, winning first and fourth place ribbons.
ReplyDeleteToday we have had wind, rain, snow, and ice pellets. Spring is blowing in!! Yeah!
Three months of winter and nine months of hard sledding?
DeleteThis year it was closer to four months of Winter, but we will have glorious Spring, a beautiful Autumn, and in between: a full fledged Summer. And now that we have heat pumps it won't matter as much if it's a hot Summer like last year.
DeleteFirst and fourth? Well done!
DeleteThis is the thing on receipts I just recently discovered:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/surprising-impact-paper-receipts.html?fbclid=IwAR2jd2Jj2u8waDNz74FJr4dDIBCrOHwhBqWEC7fzZbd2ml3WWVwNdX1ev2o
"Meanwhile, the proposed legislation also tackles the pesky problem of the toxins. The Ecology Center estimates that 93 percent of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), which is used as a color developer to help the receipts be legible. (It is the BPA that makes them ineligible for recycling.) According to Green America:
"When we touch receipts, the chemical coating is absorbed into our bodies through our hands in mere seconds. Researchers at the New York State Department of Health documented connections between BPA exposures and developmental and neurological problems. BPA impacts fetal development and is linked to reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns. Companies have sought out “non-BPA” paper, but the typical replacement is BPS, a similar chemical which research indicates has similarly detrimental effects as BPA."
It comes as little surprise that employees who regularly handle receipts have over 30 percent more BPA or BPS in their bodies."
I had no idear!! WOW!! I'm glad I usually decline receipts!!
DeleteI suppose it is heat-sensitive paper, and the mechanism is far less expensive than the older dot-matrix printers, or the even older mechanical printers.
Delete